Something old, something new, something green.

FACT: Amazing Spider-Man celebrates Spidey’s 50th Anniversary this week! Which means a double sized issued of “Amazing Spider-Man” with multiple covers is available for sale now!

FACT: Final Fantasy’s 8 protagonist Squall Leonhart birthday is on the 23rd! Um, no new news on the Final Fantasy 8 front!

FACT: My birthday is on Friday. Not toys news at all!

COINCIDENCE? Well, um yes, yes it is. Also I am old.

Speaking of old, I REMEMBER BACK IN MY DAY WHEN THE NINJA TURTLES WERE BLACK AND WHITE, ETC. Then Nickelodeon bought the rights from creators a few years back and apparently a new show is only a few weeks from premiering (IDW has also been doing a bang-up job on their TMNT comic series!). I imagine there are people that are ridiculously excited out there for this, but not as much as Playmates are, as the TMNT toy lines were some of their biggest sellers to date. The company is celebrating by releasing not 1 but 2 different toy lines. The classic line is pretty dope, as Playmates has release the Turtles based as they first appeared in the classic series. Standing over 6′ , these figures each have 35 points of articulation, have their own custom based, and of course rock their signature weapons. Fun fact: Michelangelo’s chains are actually metal, which is definitely an improvement from the plastic of the past. There’s also a line of smaller, less articulate figures based on the new show’s look, which probably appeal to the new generation of fans and completionists. Either way, the classic Turtles go for about $20-25, and the New Generation Turtles are about $15-20.

The Ninja Turtles aren’t the only toyline getting a relaunch! Mattel’s revamped it’s DC Universe Classics toyline to the DC All-Stars lines, and the first wave is…actually kind of impressive. We lead off with New 52 Batman and Superman, which are actually really good figures and surpass their DC Direct counterparts on nearly every level. I dare to say that the new 52 Batman figure is actually the best Batman figure we’ve seen from the company in awhile. My only problem with this figures is something the line is notorious for doing, which is recycling body sculpts. Fairly certain I’ve seen this body on an older Batman figure, but at least it’s in the proper scale. While Batman and Superman look fine, Red Robin is JACKED, and I’m fairly certain is a modified Green Lantern body. For someone who’s suppose to be a 17 year old teenager, it certainly doesn’t show. Still this is probably the only chance of us getting a Red Robin figure pre-reboot, so I suppose we should be grateful. Rounding off the the line is another pre-reboot relict, Superboy-Prime, who actually carries over from the LAST reboot (Comics everyone!) This figure seems to be more of a new sculpt than Red Robin’s is, but I’m fairly certain there are some recycled parts from a previous Superman figure. These figures still go for about $20 a pop, and no longer include build-a-figure pieces, which is weak, but hey, they’re still the best line of DC figures on the market today.

Speaking of the “competition”, DC Direct released 2 more figures in their new 52 Justice League line, Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Aquaman. While the All-Star figures have better articulation, these 2 have the better sculpts, and actually have different body times. Also, for a character that I never cared about, and still don’t, the Aquaman figure looks pretty damn good. Also since DC Direct doesn’t have to carter to the Wallmarts/Targets/Toy’s R Us’ of America, it will be some time before you probably see one or both of theses characters in the All Star line. Plus they run a buck or 2 less, so if you prefer looks over articulation, this is the way to go.

That’s all for this article, next time it’s a return to the Marvel Universe!